Every person who has suffered for the first time from a kidney disease, wonders what exactly went wrong in this small organ. When a doctor, using medical terms, explains the nature of what happened, this is not always clear. To understand the mechanism of the development of the disease, it is necessary to understand what parts the organ consists of, what is the renal parenchyma, for example.
The structure of the parenchyma
Parenchyma is the tissue lining the kidneys. It consists of two layers. The first is the outer shell. It is here that the tangles, which are covered by the vascular network, are deployed. Here is the formation of urine. The number of balls is huge, it can reach 1,000,000.
The second layer is the inner one. On it, the formed urine, passing through the system of pyramids, is collected in the pyelocaliceal system. There are 10-18 pyramids in the kidney. Their channels are connected to the cortical layer.
Trying to answer the question: parenchyma of the left kidney - what is it, you need to consider what exactly it forms the water balance in the body. Tissues of this type are able to regenerate, which distinguishes them from the rest.
For this reason, the treatment of acute diseases of this organ is extremely important. Answering the question: the kidney parenchyma is normal - what is it, it is worth paying attention to the thickness of the tissue in the organ. This parameter is subject to change. They occur for age-related reasons, and because of all kinds of infections, microbes. Therefore, the thickness of the parenchyma is carefully monitored if the patient has complaints of kidney disease.
Echogenicity
Quite often, patients receive an ultrasound report marked "increased echogenicity of the parenchyma." It is quite difficult for a person ignorant in medicine to understand what this means and what is the kidney parenchyma.
It should be borne in mind that ultrasound is based on the reflection of sound waves by tissues, and depending on their density, echogenicity will be different. With increased density, the result will look brighter. But if the fabrics are not dense enough, the image will turn out darker. This phenomenon is called echogenicity.
When figuring out what a kidney parenchyma is, it should be borne in mind that this tissue is homogeneous, and its echogenicity is low. But with the appearance of signs of its heterogeneity, doctors note increased echogenicity. It, in turn, is characteristic of a number of ailments, including pyelonephritis, amyloidosis, nephropathy and some others.
Sometimes there are situations when increased echogenicity of the kidneys means that a neoplasm has begun to develop in the organ.
Diffuse changes
Very often there is a need to understand what diffuse changes in the parenchyma of both kidneys are due to the prevalence of this diagnosis. Diffuse are called changes in tissues in humans. And a similar term in this case means that it is necessary to conduct a complete examination of the patient in order to find out the cause of the deviation in his physiology. As a rule, diffuse changes are characteristic of kidneys that have changed in size. Finding out what a thickening of the kidney parenchyma is, it should be borne in mind that this is due to diffusion. As a rule, diffusion of a chronic nature leads to a similar phenomenon.
In cases where diffusion is clearly expressed, this indicates that the patient has a congenital anomaly, age-related changes, transmitted infectious diseases, and chronic diseases of this organ.
Thus, all changes that are not characteristic of the norm are called diffuse in the parenchyma. The tissue may become thickened, thinned, high echogenicity is characteristic of it, neoplasms of a benign and malignant nature may appear. Often, a question arises in patients: cyst of the kidney parenchyma - what is it. This is one of the most common diffuse changes in this organ.
Parenchyma cyst
Cyst formation can begin in any of the kidneys, it can be congenital and acquired. Answers the question: cyst of the parenchyma of the right kidney - what is it, usually excites people older than 50 years. It is patients aged who have acquired the cyst more often. But often congenital cysts also occur.
It must be borne in mind that this disease is quite serious. A cyst is a cavity that is filled with fluids. To know the answer to the question: cyst of the parenchyma of the left kidney - what is it, is important, because sometimes this formation compresses the tissue. The disease can lead to problems with urination.
But if the cyst does not affect the functioning of the internal organs, the therapy is not carried out. However, the cause for surgical intervention may be a multiplicity of cysts. And no matter where they are located, in the right, left kidney, or both.
Thinning Parenchyma
Another reason why a person may be interested in what a kidney parenchyma is is the presence of a record about the thinning of this tissue in his medical record.
As a rule, this phenomenon is associated with age-related changes. But it can also be found among young people. The main reason here lies in the fact that the person did not treat or did not properly treat any disease.
Thin tissue does not cope with the load in full. And if the patient does not provide timely therapy, the disease flows into a chronic form. Then it is necessary to be treated for more serious diseases.
Calcifications
Often, the question of what are calcifications of the renal parenchyma, patients of nephrologists ask. Calcinate is a salt deposition in these tissues. Typically, such a pathology is diffuse. It is accompanied by sclerotic processes. If this phenomenon is not treated for a long time, chronic renal failure develops.
As soon as calcifications are detected, doctors take actions to eliminate the causes that provoked their development.
It is noteworthy that a diet in which too many products contain salt can provoke the appearance of calcifications. In addition, calcine may indicate that bone tissue is affected by tumors, metastases.
Deposits can also develop due to the fact that the excretion of salts from the body is impaired. This can happen when there is too much vitamin D in the body.
Atherosclerosis, radiation exposure, mercury intoxication, taking a number of drugs also provoke the appearance of deposits.
Cyst and Calcinate
Under the influence of many external factors, an active influx of calcium to the kidneys may begin. The latter will not cope with such a load, and as a result, calcium will begin to accumulate in these organs. After diffusion begins, dystrophy, the cells die. In turn, these processes lead to the fact that the connective tissue in the kidney grows. The process of cyst formation begins.
Against this background, exacerbations of urolithiasis, pyelonephritis and a number of other ailments may begin. Such a clinical picture is characteristic of many nephrologist patients.
First symptoms
A number of the first symptoms indicate developing kidney damage, paying attention to which, a person will turn to a doctor much earlier. This is able to extend his life sometimes several times.
The first symptoms indicating a pathology of the parenchyma: general weakness, fatigue. The patient is not inclined to concentrate on anything for a long time. Muscle pain, thirst, dry mouth may occur. Also, diseases are accompanied by: arrhythmia, pain in the heart muscle, in the lower back. If the pathology is already irreversible, a person can be tormented by edema, an increase in blood pressure.
The role of diet
It is noteworthy that dieting can significantly reduce the risk of encountering kidney pathologies. It is important to consume less hard cheese, wheat bran, halva, processed cheese, poppy seeds, and sunflower. It is not recommended to eat garlic, beans, cottage cheese, sour cream, oatmeal, peas. In many respects, the patient’s recovery time will be determined by the stage of the disease and which treatment methods have been chosen by the doctor. There is a fairly high probability that a person will develop renal failure while ignoring prescribed therapy and not observing a special diet.
Focal changes in the parenchyma
It is important to consider that in addition to diffuse changes, parenchyma can also distinguish focal. This category includes neoplasms and kidney cysts. Among benign tumors, adenoma and oncocytoma are often isolated. As a rule, they have large sizes - about 10-15 cm, and sometimes more.
It is noteworthy that diseases of this type develop slowly, without betraying their presence in the body. The first symptom that you must pay attention to is a violation of urination. After all, tumors squeeze the urinary tract quite often, complicating the process.
Malignant neoplasms lead to pathological changes in the structure of the parenchyma. In this category, kidney cancer is isolated. According to official statistics, malignant kidney tumors are much more common than benign. In 85% of all cases of parenchyma tumor detection, they are malignant.
Tumors in these tissues are quite insidious due to the absence of symptoms. They are usually found at a fairly late stage. And in this case, the only way to get rid of them is to have surgery.
If we are talking about a parenchyma cyst, most often this single or multiple formation reaches a size of 5 cm. Inside the cyst is filled with fluid. It is just like tumors of a different kind, it can compress the urinary tract. It is noteworthy that a small cyst is sometimes treated without surgery. The patient is given drug therapy.
First steps
In all cases when a person has complaints about the kidneys, with the slightest suspicion of the presence of their diseases, you need to see a doctor. Self-diagnosis is not allowed here. Often, it is at this stage that a person misses invaluable time, and the disease begins to progress, passing into more severe stages. Knowing what a kidney parenchyma is will not be superfluous for anyone. But relying solely on your knowledge in this area during treatment is unacceptable if a person plans to live a long and healthy life. In the early stages of diseases, it’s easier to treat them.
Therefore, even having understood what a kidney parenchyma is, it is extremely important to consult a doctor for treatment without trying to find it yourself.